The panel charged with managing the Association’s international real estate policy is renamed the HAR Global Advisory Group and launches new initiatives
With international real estate comprising a growing segment of transactions by members of the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR), the HAR board of directors has voted to rename its International Advisory Group the HAR Global Advisory Group. The move is aimed at aligning the program name with global programs managed by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), Texas REALTORS®, and other local REALTOR® associations across the United States.
Nearly 8,000 HAR members currently speak languages other than English or specialize in a foreign culture. They will now be included in the Global Member finder database, formerly known as the International Member database. In addition, they will become part of the HAR Global Business Network and benefit from a bi-monthly newsletter that HAR is launching this month along with advance notice of upcoming global classes, events and international news that can affect their real estate business.
HAR also plans to launch a monthly Global Learning Lab on April 21. These labs are hour-long interactive sessions enabling members to reach out to HAR with global real estate questions. The labs will address different topics each month.
“We are excited about the name change and launch of new global initiatives given that so many HAR member REALTORS® are engaged in international real estate and want to expand their business and broaden their own skill sets,” said 2021 HAR Global Advisory Group Chair Theresa Hughes-Hill.
“Most people think of the greater Houston area or markets across Texas when they talk about HAR, but with many real estate transactions in HAR’s Multiple Listing Service, or MLS, taking place around the world, the change to Global Advisory Group and formation of the Global Business Network appropriately reflects a wider scope,” said HAR Chairman Richard Miranda, who previously chaired the Global (formerly International) Advisory Group.
NAR’s Global Achievement Program recognizes and rewards the most active associations in global real estate business. Among the more than 130 global business councils nationwide, each of these organizations has demonstrated the utmost commitment to helping members capture their share of the global real estate market in the United States, in addition to connecting their council and members to the global community in their local area.
Global councils must have achieved Platinum status for five consecutive years and then apply for the award in their sixth year and meet all criteria for Platinum status in order to receive Diamond. HAR is currently a Diamond Global Council and has held this distinction since 2018. That is the highest level of recognition a local or state real estate association’s global program can achieve.
